072301Pope John Paull II's Statement Upon Bush Visit
By The Associated Press
Bush Statement to Pope John Paul II (July 23, 2001)
Washington Not Alone in Cell Debate (July 23, 2001)
The following statement was delivered by Pope John Paul II to
President George W. Bush today after their first meeting:
"It gives me great pleasure to welcome you on your first visit since
you assumed the office of president of the United States. I warmly
greet the distinguished first lady and the members of your
entourage. I express heartfelt good wishes that your presidency will
strengthen your country in its commitment to the principles which
inspired American democracy from the beginning, and sustained the
nation in its remarkable growth. These principles remain as valid as
ever, as you face the challenges of the new century opening up
before us.
Your nation's founders, conscious of the immense natural and human
resources with which your land had been blessed by the Creator, were
guided by a profound sense of responsibility towards the common
good, to be pursued in respect for the God-given dignity and
inalienable rights of all. America continues to measure herself by
the nobility of her founding vision in building a society of
liberty, equality and justice under the law. In the century which
has just ended, these same ideals inspired the American people to
resist two totalitarian systems based on an atheistic vision of man
and society.
At the beginning of this new century, which also marks the beginning
of the third millennium of Christianity, the world continues to look
to America with hope. Yet it does so with an acute awareness of the
crisis of values being experienced in Western society, ever more
insecure in the face of the ethical decisions indispensable for
humanity's future course.
In recent days, the worlds attention has been focused on the process
of globalization which has so greatly accelerated in the past
decade, and which you and other leaders of the industrialized
nations have discussed in Genoa. While appreciating the
opportunities for economic growth and material prosperity which this
process offers, the Church cannot but express profound concern that
our world continues to be divided, no longer by the former political
and military blocs, but by a tragic fault line between those who can
benefit from these opportunities and those who seem cut off from
them.
The revolution of freedom of which I spoke at the United Nations in
1995 must now be completed by a revolution of opportunity, in which
all the world's peoples actively contribute to economic prosperity
and share in its fruits. This requires leadership by those nations
whose religious and cultural traditions should make them most
attentive to the moral dimension of the issues involved.
Respect for human dignity and belief in the equal dignity of all the
members of the human family demand policies aimed at enabling all
peoples to have access to the means required to improve their lives,
including the technological means and skills needed for development.
Respect for nature by everyone, a policy of openness to immigrants,
the cancellation or significant reduction of the debt of poorer
nations, the promotion of peace through dialogue and negotiation,
the primacy of the rule of law: these are the priorities which the
leaders of the developed nations cannot disregard. A global world is
essentially a world of solidarity! From this point of view, America,
because of her many resources, cultural traditions and religious
values, has a special responsibility.
Respect for human dignity finds one of its highest expressions in
religious freedom. This right is the first listed in your nation's
Bill of Rights, and it is significant that the promotion of
religious freedom continues to be an important goal of American
policy in the international community. I gladly express the
appreciation of the whole Catholic Church for America's commitment
in this regard.
Another area in which political and moral choices have the gravest
consequences for the future of civilization concerns the most
fundamental of human rights, the right to life itself. Experience is
already showing how a tragic coarsening of consciences accompanies
the assault on innocent human life in the womb, leading to
accommodation and acquiescence in the face of other related evils
such as euthanasia, infanticide and, most recently, proposals for
the creation for research purposes of human embryos, destined to
destruction in the process.
A free and virtuous society, which America aspires to be, must
reject practices that devalue and violate human life at any stage
from conception until natural death. In defending the right to life,
in law and through a vibrant culture of life, America can show the
world the path to a truly humane future, in which man remains the
master, not the product, of his technology.
Mr. President, as you carry out the tasks of the high office which
the American people have entrusted to you, I assure you of a
remembrance in my prayers. I am confident that under your leadership
your nation will continue to draw on its heritage and resources to
help build a world in which each member of the human family can
flourish and live in a manner worthy of his or her innate dignity.
With these sentiments I cordially invoke upon you and the beloved
American people Gods blessings of wisdom, strength and peace."
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